GREENACRES, Fla. (WSVN) – The father of the 20-year-old co-pilot of the Learjet that crashed in Greenacres spoke out at an emotional press conference.
Allan Filgueiras appeared Friday morning alongside lawyers. He stressed that his motivation for speaking was to simply talk about his daughter, Natalia Filgueiras.
No lawsuit has been filed as of Friday afternoon in connection to the fiery wreck that took place Sunday on South Military Trail in Greenacres, right next to a mobile home park.
Filgueiras told reporters that he listened to the audio of the flight’s last moments, during which Natalia was communicating with air traffic control while the pilot, 55-year-old Jeff Gregory, tried to control the plane.
“Once you see that coming, a lot of the big boys, military or whatever, they can’t handle it, and she was the one ’til the last minute fighting. I did listen to it, many times, tried to find a clue in my head how that happened, and wow, she was tough,” he said.
“She was extraordinary. She was the top of her class in everything she did and she was perfectly qualified to be the co-pilot on this flight despite her tender years,” said Stuart Grossman, the father’s attorney.
All nine people on board were killed, including the pilots, a family of four from Austin with two young children, aged 4 and 2, as well as their babysitter and two friends.
The impact left behind a big, fiery crater that was later filled with water due to heavy rainfall.
Investigators said they had to deal with the weather as they retrieve as much as they can from the crash site.
Filgueiras became emotional as he spoke about his daughter.
“She was gifted. She was gifted, and my soulmate. I wanted to be by her side inside the plane to help her, to be by her. I had to be next to her,” Filgueiras said. “She made me so proud. She showed me what it is to be a hero.”
The grieving parent said he was also a pilot and often flew a lot with his daughter.
He also said he was so proud of her and was even motivated by her because he would teach her things.
“Natalia doesn’t want to see a father falling apart so I’m gonna find a way to make her proud, my other three kids and my wife proud,” said Filgueiras.
He added that Natalia once told him she couldn’t believe she was able to get paid for doing something she loved so passionately.
The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation remains ongoing.
